It's difficult to believe that the last time we visited the Disneyland Resort during the Halloween season was just 3 years ago. It seems like a lifetime away! Then again, for a 10 year-old, 3 years is an eternity, a third of their life. So classifying these photos under #ThrowbackThursday is entirely appropriate, even though 3 years for us oldies is nothing.

Last Friday Alfie and I went to San Francisco to watch the San Francisco Opera's performance of Mephistopheles. It was truly a magical night. Mephistopheles is Alfie's favorite opera; he has been waiting over 15 years for it to come back to the West Coast, so it was truly a Must-See. I'm not the world's biggest opera fan (the very first time Alfie invited me to the Opera, I tried to get out of it with the lame excuse of: "I have to do laundry". Alfie still can't believe we ended up together after that.), but I thought it was brilliant. The Opera House was beautiful, the production was lavish, the music was stirring. I enjoyed everything about that night -- and I enjoyed the opportunity to go on a date with my husband most of all.

I do not have a child or other family member requiring special needs assistance, but like everyone I was outraged when the story of disabled tour guides for hire came out last May. I was disappointed that there were people who would "pimp" out their disability, and even more disgusted that there were rich people who think themselves so above the rest of the world that they would pay disabled people to help them skip the lines.

From a public relations perspective and from an ethical perspective I'm not surprised that Disney would have to take some kind of action to eliminate, or at least minimize, the abuse. Last week I heard rumors about a new Disability Access card that would replace the current Guest Assistance card, and this Saturday I received information about the new system straight from Disney.

If you don't want to read through the whole thing, here's my takeaway, in a nutshell: Previously, guests unable to wait in a queue were given Guest Assistance Cards that allowed them to enter an attraction from the exit side -- thereby eliminating all the queues and all the wait. The new system requires eligible guests to get a FastPass style card with a return time -- which eliminates the queues, but not the wait.

If you've read my blog over the years you'll know that I have a peculiar obsession with theme park restroom signs. I've always said the devil is in the details, and nothing says detail to me more than restroom signs that are consistent with a themed area. Any old theme park can buy generic restroom signs, but it takes a special kind of theme park to realize that the immersive experience continues even when nature calls.

So whenever I visit a theme park, I like to keep an eye on the restroom signs. If any strike me as particularly cute or clever, I'll snap a photo (you have no idea how many weird looks I've gotten while doing that, especially when snapping the one of the male signs! And half of the time, those weird looks come from my own family!).

I used to think that no other theme park in the world could rival a Disney theme park. Their imaginative themes, entertaining attractions and attention to detail transport visitors into another world, in a way unlike any other.

You can't stop at just one. Unless you don't really care for potato chips. Strange as it may seem, there are people in this world who don't like potato chips. Or maybe they just haven't found the right flavor....

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About Me

Bonggamom is a a work-at-home parent to a daughter and twin sons. She is balances freelance writing, social media management, and parenting, constantly looking for new ways to entertain her kids while doing as little housework as possible.